1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to gasket assemblies. More particularly, it relates to gasket assemblies which include multiple gasket carriers, and even more particularly to those which incorporates multiple seal materials in a single assembly.
2. Related Art
Modern sealing applications frequently call for sealing different fluids with different fluid compositions in different fluid passageways, such that different sealing materials are required to affect the seals. The fluid passageways are sometimes in close proximity to one another such that it is desirable to affect the seal on several fluid passageways with a single gasket assembly which incorporates a number of different seals having different seal compositions. This is frequently the case in automotive vehicles applications. One such example and in automotive vehicle includes a gasket assembly for sealing the intake manifold to the cylinder head, which may require a sealed joint for sealing engine oil, engine coolant and air/fuel passageways, and thus require engine oil resistant, engine coolant resistant and air/fuel resistant seals in a single gasket assembly.
One means of obtaining multiple seals made from multiple seal materials in a single gasket assembly has been to co-mold different seal materials, such as to different rubber or elastomeric materials, to a single gasket carrier. However, the different elastomeric materials may require different processing conditions (i.e., time, temperature and ambient atmosphere), the use of different primers or other adhesion promoters, the use of different carriers materials, or other items of difference which make co-molding, to a greater or lesser degree, either impossible or very undesirable.
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop an improved gasket assembly which addresses the limitations of related art gasket assemblies, particularly one which is suitable for automotive applications such as those described herein.